My best friend lives out in California and absolutely hates it. He wishes he could make some substantial, lasting modifications to it. Less traffic; no crazy, naked guy in front of his apartment. The list goes on. Unfortunately for him, I don’t see any of those changes coming around any time soon.
Ferrari has good California-related news, though. Or does it?
The world premiere of the prancing horse company’s F149M Project is set for Feb. 12. If you remember the 575M from the early 2000s, you’ll probably also recall that the “M” translated to that car being a heavily modified 550 Maranello. In this case, the suffix likely means that we’ll soon be seeing a tweaked Ferrari California, whose current codename is F149.
Word on the street…er…internet…is that the 4.3-liter V8 will be ditched in favor of the 3.8-liter eight with two snails from the new Maserati Quattroporte. Power should jump from 483 to around 523 horsepower. While the California 2.0 will keep its folding tin top, everything under that lid will show the design influence of the big daddy F12 Berlinetta. Of course, the interior will be revised, as well.
After the big reveal, the F149M will be transported to be on display at the Geneva Motor Show, March 6-16.
Are you looking forward to Feb. 12? What do you think of the current California? How do you feel about a Ferrari that’s not naturally aspirated?
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
